Living in an apartment or rental, chances are you don’t really need to know much about the wiring in your home. But once you move into a place of your own, you might want to learn the basics. So, what do you know about hardwiring a light fixture?
First of all, the current powering any electrical appliance or light in your home must be able to make to and from the main power box. This is known as a full circuit. There are two lines in all homes – the hot wire, which brings the electricity in, and the neutral wire, which carries it back out. Don’t become the conduit in between, but be sure to connect hot wires to hot and neutral wires to neutral.
As you look at your wiring, the hot wires are typically black. Neutral lines are white. If you can’t tell which is which, always use a circuit tester or find the help of a professional! Remember, before you connect anything to a hot wire, you need to shut off the power so you don’t get shocked. The best advice we can give you is to follow instructions when rewiring a light fixture and to be extremely careful.
While this is not a comprehensive outline of how to hardwire a light fixture, it does give you some of the basic information you need to know. Remember, moving into your own home means that you’ll be learning about all sorts of things you never thought you’d have to know before – including electrical wiring!
Lance Grooms
